


Let Me Down Softly This Time

by minikawa



Category: Vinland Saga (Anime), Vinland Saga (Manga)
Genre: Angst, Crying, M/M, MEGA SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE LATEST EPISODE, Pining, Songfic, Sort Of, Spoilers, Unrequited Love, this is prolly rlly ooc but im emotionally not ok soooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21727282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minikawa/pseuds/minikawa
Summary: "I've always hated you Danes."Wounded and alone, Bjorn is forced to confront his thoughts and his deepest fear.SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST EPISODE
Relationships: Askeladd/Bjorn (Vinland Saga)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	Let Me Down Softly This Time

_ I’ve always hated you Danes.  _

The chaos that had followed Askeladd’s words were, in some ways, a blessing. Back then, Bjorn didn’t have the time to process his leader’s confession. Askeladd had given him an order to help the Prince escape, and gods damn him if he let Askeladd down. 

Strangely enough, Bjorn was thankful for that chaos. He was thankful for the battle against his own comrades, for the bloodshed, and for the blind rage that overtook him. Unpleasant as they were, they distracted him from dwelling on Askeladd’s words, on how his leader truly felt about them…

...about him. 

_ I’ve always hated… _

Bjorn now laid alone in a small cabin. A small candle flickered, hardly enough to provide adequate warmth. Not that he needed it...his fever burned, as if he were being cremated alive. The wound at his side seared, his bandages soaked yet again with blood and sweat. 

It was nothing compared to the  _ real  _ pain, the one that ached from deep within, where no sword could pierce. There was nothing to distract him from his thoughts—No shouts of battle, no blinding rage. Just darkness. 

_ I’ve always hated… _

Bjorn hated the silence. He would rather hear the sound of blades clashing or men screaming in excruciating agony than the voice that replayed through the quiet...the voice that affirmed his worst fears, the voice that broke his heart.

_ I’ve always hated…  _

He shook from beneath the covers. Askeladd’s words seeped into his being, like the infection within his injuries. They took root in his heart, digging and burrowing away at whatever remnants of strength he had left. 

Bjorn threw away decades of his life for this man, and happily so. He was never in it for the glory or gold. All that had mattered was Askeladd’s wellbeing, his happiness...that he didn’t have to shoulder his burdens alone. The only thing he asked for in return…

...he could never have. 

_ I’ve always hated you... _

Bjorn felt a warm sting in his eyes, and he shut them tightly. He convinced himself that he was simply in pain from his injuries, not from the raw ache in his heart. It was to no avail as the tears escaped, sliding down his bruised cheeks. A guttural, shuddering gasp wrenched itself his lips. And then another, and another, and another. 

With no one to see his vulnerability, Bjorn allowed himself, just this once, to cry.

~

_and I've made myself the fool_   
_who's fallen for you_   
_so let me down softly this time and_   
_I wont have to come back cryin'_

_it'd be better to forget you  
but I don't really want to_

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably super ooc but I've been having a lot of Askejorn feels, and I've been crying a lot about today's episode, soooo have some emotional Bjorn :')
> 
> somebody pls hold me cuz this episode left me crying in the club
> 
> Song is "The Bolder Thing To Do" by Gregory and the Hawk! I've always associated this song with unrequited Askejorn, and I wanted to use it in a fic...looks like a got my wish oof.


End file.
